Evangelizing for the Earth

Christian leaders take stand to protect environment, poor

Christian leaders take stand to protect environment, poor

February 16, 2006|FRANK JAMES Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON -- A group of evangelical Christian leaders kicked off a national campaign Feb. 8 to urge Congress to pass legislation to limit carbon dioxide emissions, contending that decreasing the human role in global warming was central to putting faith into action. The evangelical leaders said they were acting not just out of a sense of stewardship for the Earth as God's creation, but also out of concern for the poor, who are most often the hardest hit by hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters linked to climate change. Through a national advertising campaign using television, radio and the print media -- including an ad that ran in the New York Times on Feb. 9 with a statement signed by 86 of the Christian leaders -- the evangelicals said they hoped to further the growing momentum for environmentalism within many churches. Evangelical Christians for many years have been portrayed in the media as virtually a wing of the Republican Party, and many hold views that are virtually indistinguishable from the GOP's platform. But evangelicals say they have always been a more diverse group than media portrayals have suggested. Still, the group of 86 acknowledged that other evangelicals, including some notable leaders, have expressed doubts about whether humans are a factor in global warming and also have steered clear of environmentalism, which they have long associated with the liberal, secular culture. But the evangelical leaders said they hoped their new campaign would win those doubting evangelicals over to their side. "In the first century, the Roman world was a tumultuous place," said Leith Anderson, pastor of the Wooddale Church, a megachurch in Eden Prairie, Minn. "And St. Peter wrote to the Christians and said, Do what is right and don't be afraid. And that's what we as evangelicals are stepping up to do on the issue of climate change. "Those 86 of us who have signed this statement and others as well are saying that we believe we are doing what is right and we are not afraid," Anderson said. "We're convinced that God created the world and entrusted it to us, and we're concerned about the impact of global warming upon those who are the poorest of the poor and the marginalized in society." Because Evangelical Christians for many years have had a close relationship with Republicans and specifically with President Bush, a born-again Christian, the relationship has produced results, according to political experts. Evangelicals were galvanized to act over the atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan long before many other Americans had even heard of the crisis there. Their interest was due to many of the victims being Christians while the aggressors were Muslims associated with the government. The analysts credit the agitation of evangelicals on Sudan for keeping the pressure on the Bush administration to make Sudan a foreign-policy priority. The environmental evangelicals hope similar pressure on environmental issues will move the administration to support limits on U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. To date, the administration has opposed such limits. But environmental issues have proved divisive within the body of believers who identify themselves as evangelicals. Some who believe the world is in the "end times," with a return of Jesus imminent, have not seen the necessity of protecting the environment for the long term. Others, meanwhile, have taken the view espoused by the evangelicals who unveiled their campaign Feb. 8, that humans were given dominion over the Earth with the responsibility to protect it. Members of the Evangelical Climate Initiative at last week's news conference included Todd Bassett, the Salvation Army's commissioner; Jo Ann Lyon, president of World Hope International; Duane Litfin, president of Wheaton College in Illinois; and Anderson. Later, they met with some members of the Senate Energy Committee to discuss possible legislation to restrict carbon emissions. Jim Ball, executive director of the Evangelical Environmental Network, commended Bush's call during his State of the Union address Jan. 31 for more research into cleaner energy sources, saying it was a good move as far as it went. "What we need is a requirement that carbon dioxide start to be reduced," Ball said. "That's the legislation we need. Legislation saying there is a requirement. That we deal with this in a business-friendly way, dealing with market-based mechanisms." But the evangelical environmentalists face strong head winds in their effort. Numerous conservatives oppose setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., issued a press release about a letter he sent to his Senate colleagues saying that the National Association of Evangelicals, the largest and most important of the evangelical groups, backed away from taking a position against global warming after considering doing so. That group apparently decided not to support carbon dioxide limits after it was prodded by another group associated with such widely influential evangelical leaders as James Dobson, founder of the Focus on the Family radio program and organization, and Charles Colson, a former Nixon administration aide.